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Dear NWRESD Staff -
Thank you to everyone who attended the staff chat yesterday evening. For those who were unable to attend, please take the closing survey so we can get a better understanding of what additional information you would like to hear from me. You can also access the slides and recording.
As we referenced in the chat, Gov. Brown announced earlier this week that educators will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines beginning Jan. 23. This morning, we were dismayed to learn from reporting in the Washington Post and subsequent messaging from Governor Brown that—contrary to what state officials were previously told—vaccine reserves from the federal government have been depleted. While the dynamics of vaccination efforts continue to shift, and we expect an update from the Governor in the next few hours related to the prioritization of educators, I’d like to provide information about planning that is underway.
In an effort to swiftly return more of our educators to our classrooms, sports fields, and other educational facilities, Portland metro area health care providers, including Kaiser, OHSU, Providence, Legacy and PeaceHealth, are working toward co-developing a vaccination plan to provide Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington County educators with their first COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks.
Public health leaders in Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook counties are similarly taking action so we are ready to provide vaccinations to educators as soon as they become available. For NWRESD staff in those areas, please keep a close watch on your email in the days ahead for information and instructions.
Here’s what else our staff should know at this time:
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What you need to do: Please DO NOT call health care providers with questions. Our health care providers are overwhelmed with questions from the public and have asked that school districts and ESDs implore their employees to hold their calls. As soon as more information is available, we will share more about how to prepare for upcoming vaccination opportunities.
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Why should educators get vaccinated?: Vaccination is a safe, effective and reliable way to prevent getting infected with COVID-19. It’s the best tool we have to help us end the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon. Furthermore, the shift to distance learning has exacerbated existing racial and socioeconomic disparities in education. For this reason, our state leaders are prioritizing educators so our students can return to school facilities.
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Is the vaccine safe? It is effective? Thanks to advances in medicine, scientists were able to create and test a vaccine quickly. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requires rigorous safety testing before it will approve any vaccine. Tens of thousands of people — including Oregonians — from many backgrounds, ages and communities of color, participated in vaccine testing. Clinical trials measured the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Each vaccine requires two doses. The Moderna vaccine is 94% effective two weeks after a person receives the second shot. The Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective one week after the second shot.
We expect more information from the Governor and health care providers in the coming hours. In the meantime, you can get more information about the COVID-19 vaccine and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the Oregon Health Authority vaccine website.
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